


slipping

by saturnakasix



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, mainly fluff, paired for a project, your stereotypical high school story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26783830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saturnakasix/pseuds/saturnakasix
Summary: Henry lost a bet to Pez, ending him in a private school in Washington D.C. He was just trying to make it through the semester without anyone figuring out who he is- a prince.Alex was a popular kid who just wanted to keep his spot as valedictorian. When a new kid transfers in, he did what he did best. He made a listThings I need to figure out about ...Starting off strong with his nameWhy did he transfer inHow was he allowed to transfer in? Exceptions like that didn’t happen for just anyoneWhat does he look likeThis is strictly to know who to avoidClass rankI am not losing valedictorianorYour classic high school au.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor, brief Alex Claremont-Diaz/ Nora Holleran
Comments: 12
Kudos: 52
Collections: Red White & Royal Blue Big Bang 2020





	1. Henry Windsor

**Author's Note:**

> hi guys. I really don't know what to say. I'm writing this as I upload and it'll be done by the 24th. If it's bad akfjalkdfkalfj blame it on the college classes I have rn
> 
> Any art seen is by strawberrylark on tumblr!

Henry Fox- Mountchristian- Windsor. Prince Henry of Wales. Second in line for the throne. 

To anyone else, he was perfect. He only did what was acceptable to the crown, never straying off the idea of who he was supposed to be. 

No matter how it made him feel. 

Feelings had to be locked away, buried so deep inside that he could never find them. He locked them in a chest- or so he always presumed. In reality, it was a glass bottle, just waiting for the day it shattered. 

With all the private education he got, it’s surprising Henry wasn’t smart enough to not make bets with his best friend- Percy “Pez” Okonjo. 

Pez was the center of attention. He differed it from Henry, to which he was thankful for. Henry hated the spotlight. He didn’t want to bear the weight of putting on an act so often. 

Pez wanted to make things interesting. So, when he said let’s make a bet, Henry was all ears. Granted, Henry didn’t think he would lose. 

Whoever loses, you go to school in America for the semester. 

He should have asked what the bet was before agreeing to the terms. 

“That guy over there,” he pointed with his bottle of beer. “Get his number.”

“ _I beg your pardon?”_

Pez grinned. He used a generic American accent to say, “you should have asked for the details, darling. He’s your type, go for it.”

“I can’t get his number. You know that Pez.”

Pez took a slip of his drink. “So you’re chickening out?”

That’s how he ended up in a meeting with the Queen on the logistics of him going to an American school. 

He argued that he was just trying to learn more about their system to get into international affairs. 

Somehow, it worked. 

He forced Pez to look into what schools were in the Capital and figure out which one he could attend. Henry didn’t want the press, or anyone for that matter, to figure out that this was happening. He wanted it to be in and out. 

Problem #1: his looks.

Now, there was nothing much he could do to change his appearance. He could change his clothes.

“No Pez, I’m not wearing yours.”

That wouldn’t stop people from recognizing his face. Henry decided to try and combat that with temporarily dying his hair dark brown. He would have to constantly redye it, not wanting to permanently mess up his blond hair. Add that he could fake his best American accent and it would almost seem like he was a different person. 

Almost, but he banked on the fact that he would look and act different enough to not seem the same. 

Pez gave him some pointers and lessons on terminology he might encounter. Pez was going to stay in England, but he was always one plane ride away if anything were to happen. 

Problem #2: his name.

He could admit himself that his name was a mouthful- so he went by just Henry Windsor. Going by Henry was probably not ideal when he wasn’t trying to be seen, however he knew that if he didn’t go by his own name, he would probably mess it up and not respond to a fake name. He would have gotten used to it by the end of the semester, but he just wanted to stick with what he was familiar with, especially since this was out of his comfort zone.

If anyone asked, his parents are obsessed with international affairs and wanted to name him after the royal baby. 

Problem #3: royal guards.

Henry was already getting farther than he thought would happen when this bet was announced. He was pulled into a meeting with Shaan, his handler. Shaan made this a formal meeting as they would need to discuss the matters of security. He couldn’t just go without any of it. 

“You know it would be suspicious for a new kid to be named Henry and have guards.”

“There could be an attempt on your life. With an American school, students' lives are put into danger every day. We aren’t going to let you die because you wanted to learn more about ‘international affairs and how politics in America work to have a better relationship with them in the future in case Phillip doesn’t have kids.’”

Henry frowned. Shaan did not need to use his own words against him. “Doesn’t their school have police officers?”

“Your point? They aren’t paid by the royal guard. We can’t tell them to watch you.”

“Have one of your people replace them. Then there will always be someone in the school that I can go to and to protect me if anything goes wrong.”

Shaan looked down at his notes. He clicked his pen, _that could work._ He agreed to entertain the idea and look into it to see if it was possible. It would be harder than Henry would think- how would they be able to replace someone in a country they have no say in?

Henry knew Shaan had pulled some strings once he was put on a plane, sent direct to Washington D.C. 


	2. Chapter 2- Alex Claremont Diaz

Alex Claremont Diaz. America’s golden boy.

To the world, he could do no wrong. He was the embodiment of the American dream. 

People looked at him with hope. He was a Mexican American from the suburbs of Texas. It seemed like his life would be cut out for him, but he proved them wrong every day. 

Alex went to a private school in the DC area. It was smart to be around the center of politics, especially _when your mother is running for president._

He was well rounded, fitting in with whatever crowd he wanted. He was the team captain of the varsity lacrosse team, he took all AP classes, and overall he was just popular. His mother could have something to do with it, but Alex would chalk it up to his charm. 

He loved politics. He was helping his mother on her campaign. He wasn’t doing anything heavy, but it was giving him experience. He thrived on it.

He was able to go to different debates, have speeches, and get a feel of how the government actually worked from an almost insider perspective. He hoped that one of these days it would be a truly inside perspective. 

Alex’s mom had been planning this campaign for years now. She had been working in other branches of the government, now wanting to go bigger. Hell, she is from Texas. Everything is bigger there, including people’s drives and ambitions- at least that’s what the Claremont-Diaz family says. 

Alex had spent half the summer with his father, Oscar. He had nothing against Leo, Ellen’s new husband, but he loved spending the summer with his dad. He wished they had more time together, like they used to. It was nice to spend time at the lake house, although he wouldn’t call it home. Home was a house in Pemberton Heights.

Coming back to school after a summer like that, he didn’t miss it. The crowded hallways, the stress, and it put him back into the swing of the election. 

It was a nice break, but he needed to get back to what was important. 

Nora put her hand in Alex’s back pocket, walking with him to his locker. They were a power couple. They were always the smartest people in the room- although Alex learned he could never compete in comparison. 

Alex put his stuff in his locker, giving her a small smile. It was the first day of her senior year and his junior. They were both the valedictorian of their year. 

“Did you ever figure out that code you were working on?”

“I was able to figure it out once you and June left me alone.” 

Alex laughed, shaking his head. When the three of them were together, they couldn’t get anything done. They were called the White House Trio, but it seemed more like a disaster trio if you asked him. 

He looked to his right when he overheard someone talking about a new student. It wouldn’t have been a big deal on the first day, but a new student didn’t normally mean the freshmen.

“New kid?”

Nora looked at him like he was a small child. “Yes, a new kid. He transferred in junior year.”

“Who would transfer in this late?”

“Why don’t you ask him? You guys have chemistry together.”

“At this point, I don’t even question how you know everything you do.”

Nora smiled at him. “I’m going to head to class. I’ll catch up with you at lunch.”

Alex’s focus had already shifted to trying to figure out details on the new kid. He knew everyone in his class, so he would be able to figure out who the odd one out was. He wanted to know everything. 

He made a list:

Things I need to figure out about ... 

  * Starting off strong with his name 
  * Why did he transfer in 
How was he allowed to transfer in? Exceptions like that didn’t happen for just anyone 
  * What does he look like 
This is strictly to know who to avoid 
  * Class rank
I am not losing valedictorian 



	3. Getting Paired

School came easy for Alex. He had a passion for learning. He wanted to know everything that he could possibly know- at least, what he could about the subjects he likes. 

Other subjects… well, you can still pass knowing the bare minimum. 

Walking into chemistry, he sat next to Liam. 

Liam was Alex’s best friend. Liam had to put in the work for his grades. He was an average student, but he had classes with Alex before. It was in a subject that Alex didn’t like, so he wanted someone to entertain him. They became friends quickly, Liam was easy to talk to. He brought out the best in him. 

Liam had a crush on Alex, which was obvious to everyone except to who it mattered. They did some _questionable things_ together. Questionable things for someone who called themselves straight. 

The only thing Alex was questioning was this project. Why were they getting a project on the first day? They had a little bit less than two months to do it. That seemed like an absurd amount of time to get things done, but listening to the teacher list off everything they needed to do, it made sense. It was almost their entire quarter grade. 

If he was going to do a project with anyone, he would always choose Liam. He knew that the work would be done, Liam would do his part and not use Alex just for answers. 

They had this teacher last year, so as she started reading off names, Alex leaned over to whisper to Liam about it. 

“I think we should do it on-”

“Alex and Henry.”

“ _What_?”

“Liam and Spencer.”

The teacher ignored the boys, continuing down the list. Liam looked towards Spencer, then back at Alex. Alex let his head fall on to the table, waiting for his inevitable demise. He was going to be forced to do all the work, he just had a feeling. 

Wait- Henry? That name did not ring a bell. 

Alex lifted his head up. He looked around, finding the only face that didn’t look family. 

_Henry_. Alex liked the name. This had to be the new kid. 

He made eye contact with Henry, giving him a warm smile.  
-  
Henry had walked into the class with major doubt that this plan would actually work. So far, he already hated American schools. Everything was so clicky. Everyone knew of everyone. The amount of rumors he had heard from walking into the building into this classroom was absurd.

The amount of rumors he had heard about _himself_ was absurd. 

He didn’t understand why it was so important that people knew about his personal life. It didn’t seem important. They lived in D.C., it wasn’t like you knew every single person in the city. 

He couldn’t wait to let Pez in on all the interesting details about his life that he didn’t know. 

Henry was surprised that he hadn’t heard a rumor that was actually true yet. That should be good, at least no one is suspicious of him.

He felt out of his element. He had been to private schools before, sure, but this was a completely different experience. It was like a public school that people who could afford it went to. 

Normally he had Pez to distract the attention from him. They balanced each other out, he took the attention and Henry grounded him. Currently, he was all by himself. 

Hearing the details of this project, he understood why Americans had lower averages than other parts of the world. They had the time, but too many people would put it off until the last minute, harming their grade. 

Alex… as in Claremont Diaz? 

Of course he would be paired up with someone who cares about foriegn relations. He was briefed on both presidential candidates, knowing that he would have to interact with whoever won the election come November. 

He felt his heart sink at the smile, not returning it. He knew Alex didn’t want to work with him, that was obvious with the head bang, so he was going to try and make this quick. 

The boy next to Alex got up to sit with his partner, so Henry moved to sit in his seat. He had the periodic table out, ready to say what element they should choose in his best American accent. 

“We should do aluminum.”

“Nice to meet you too, Henry. We should do manganese, not aluminum. Aluminum is just a basic post transition metal. It’ll be more interesting using an element that’s transitional.”

“You just want to talk about stainless steel.”

“Why would I want to talk about stainless steel when I could talk about literally anything else?”

“Like aluminum.”

“About _manganese_ , dumbass.”

Henry was almost shocked at the way he talked to him, but here he was just a normal person. Alex could say whatever he wanted to him.

“Let’s just do potassium then,” Alex said exasperated. “Atomic number 19, halfway point between aluminum and manganese.”

Henry nodded in agreement. That seemed like the rational decision. It seemed like Alex was the type of person who would rather compromise that stand with his point, but he had just met the guy, who knows?

“Now that we’ve decided that, you can come over and we can get a game plan.”

“Come over?” 

“Yeah. Where else would we work on the project?”

“At a library?”

“Did you transfer from home schooling? Here we go to other people’s houses for projects.”

“No, I transferred from England.”

Henry realized his mistake as soon as the words, but Alex didn’t seem to care. 

“England? Why come here?”

“Born and raised in D.C.” he lied through his teeth. He didn’t know what accent people would have if they were from the area, but he prayed that he wouldn’t get caught in that lie.

“So you went to England for a few years then came back. That seems fun.”

“Yeah, it’s good to be back.”

“Do you like school?”

“I do. I was top of my class.”

“I’m top of the class here.”

Henry noted how Alex became defensive. 

“Let the smartest person get it.”

Alex raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, I’ll hold you to that.”


	4. Friends, Huh?

Alex only had one other class with Henry. The world wanted him to start and end his school day with Henry if he had to guess. 

Their last class of the day was United States history. Needless to say, it was one of the classes Alex looked most forward to.

History repeats itself. Analyzing the past can give leeway to prevent that from happening. If his mother won the election, _when_ his mother _wins_ the election, they would need to know what not to do. As the first female president, she needs to do everything right- things that other presidents didn’t get in trouble for, she would.

Even though it was the first day, the teacher threw them straight into the lesson. There was no time to waste.

Alex was in his element. Any question the teacher asked, he was able to respond with the correct answer. He tried not to fill up the entire class, knowing that wasn’t the image he wanted to uphold. He wanted to give other students the chance to answer if they wanted. 

No one really wanted to answer. They just wanted the class to be over. It was the only thing keeping them from going home.

Henry knew the answer to some of the questions, but he knew England better than he did America. He didn’t know about all the trials and tribulations it took for America to become what it is today. 

He was one of the students that was waiting for the bell to ring. He wanted to go home- as in home, not just to the place he was staying. It was enthralling to be here, don’t get him wrong, but to be here for three more months seemed like a hassle. 

The classes weren’t challenging, just time consuming. That was his conclusion based on the one day he had been to class. He couldn’t see how he would be wrong. 

There was one other thing.

Was he actually going to go to Alex’s? 

Henry could not decipher if Alex was serious. It was probable. There was no reason to bring it up besides that. He wasn’t sure if the royal guards would let that happen. They wouldn’t be allowed inside, however, Henry knew he would be safe. He would be at a presidential candidate's home. 

Once the bell rang, Henry packed his items slowly. He wanted to trail behind everyone to talk to a guard. It would be weird if he just walked up in front of everyone. 

Alex packed his stuff up quickly. He loved the class, but he wasn’t going to stay longer than he needed. He put one strap of his backpack on, walking over to Henry’s desk. He knocked on it to get Henry to look up.

Henry was not amused. 

“Do you need anything from your locker or are we good to go?”

“You were serious?”

“Of course I was. We should get started now before we are actually busy with classes and extracurriculars.”

“What extracurriculars do you do?”

“Well, I play lacrosse, but I help my mom practice her speeches for rallies. Are you joining anything?”

“I don’t plan on it.”

“Come on, you can join the chess club or something.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “I have to focus on more pressing matters.”

“Like?”

Like his duties as a prince? He needed to make sure he still finished his tasks and helped out the Okonjo Foundation. “Just personal things.”

Alex nodded, knowing it wasn’t his place to push for more information, no matter how much he wanted it. He motioned for Henry to follow him out.

“Do you drive to school?”

“No, I got a ride.”

“I’m parked in the student lot, so let me just stop by my locker, then we can go.” 

The ride to Alex’s house was only filled with the music on the radio. They didn’t try to hold a conversation. Alex hummed the songs while Henry typed away on his phone.

“What’s your address? I’m just going to tell my… dad so he can pick me up when we are done.” 

“I can just give you a ride home.”

“It’s alright. I just got back so I don’t even know my address.”

Henry seemed so familiar that Alex kept forgetting he was new. He told him his address, pulling into his home a few minutes later. He got out of the car, making sure he already had the proper key out. He did not want to fumble around, this was his first impression on Henry. 

Alex took off his shoes at the door, motioning for Henry to do the same action and then follow him. He brought them into the kitchen.

“Do you want anything to eat or drink?”

“Just water.”

Alex stared at him for a long moment before turning around to open the fridge. How long did Henry spend in England again? He had an accent. 

He grabbed Henry a water bottle and himself an apple. He handed over the water, then started walking in the direction of his room. He didn’t check to make sure Henry was following him, he just assumed. 

Henry trailed back for a second before realizing he was supposed to follow. American culture was weird. 

Walking into Alex’s bedroom, he didn’t know what to expect. He did just meet him, although he did not expect such a minimalistic room. The walls were a light grey, the bedspread being a navy blue. There were a few pictures on the dresser and a poster on the back side of the door.

Nothing screamed Alex. 

Alex pulled off his hoodie, putting it on his desk chair. He had a white short sleeve underneath. 

“K, that’s what we’re doing.”

Henry just looks at him blankly. 

“Potassium. K. Nevermind.” 

“You’re quite amusing.”

Alex smiled, pulling his notebook out of his bag. He didn’t want to force Henry to be here longer than he needed to. 

They finished the outline of the project within a few hours. Once they were done, Alex plopped on to his bed. 

“That was mind numbing.”

“At least it is done.”

“This is just the beginning of two months of bullshit.”

“I don’t know, it could be fun.”

“Optimistic. Did you forget that school here is just for the grade? I love it, don’t get me wrong, but this is literally the definition of busy work.”

“Maybe we will learn something from it,” his tone was soft. Henry was referring to learning about each other, but it seemed to go right over Alex’s head.

Alex rolled his eyes. “Surely the chemical mass of potassium will help us later in life.”

Henry nodded. How can he be so oblivious? 

“Do you want something to eat? It’s getting late and my mom’s making dinner.”

It was getting late, he should get home, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He accepted the offer, eating some of the best food he’s had in awhile. It was actually made with love, it wasn’t something cookie cutter perfect. The way Alex interacted with his family kept a smile on his face. They tried to keep politics off the table, mainly for Henry’s sake but June was thankful. It was nice to see how they got along and interacted. It made Alex seem more approachable. 

The next day at school, Alex waved to Henry. He didn’t want this to be a one time thing. They needed to stay friendly for the project, plus he had grown a liking to Henry. Maybe he wasn’t as big of a prick as he thought. 

They talked during school and classes, getting to know eachother. They hung out again after school about a week later, trying to work on the project. That lasted about thirty minutes before they gave up and just started talking again.

“21 questions.”

“That is absolutely too many.”

“Okay, how about three questions each then?”

“Reasonable. You can start.”

“Why did you move to England?”

It was an expected question, but that didn’t mean he had a good answer for it. “I had family there. When my dad died, my mom didn’t take it so well. We joined our family, but she’s still not better.”

Alex nodded slowly. “I’m sorry man,” was his response. He decided against mentioning how he said his dad was picking him up when he asked for his address. It could have been his stepdad. Alex had one himself, so he understood sometimes it was just easier to say dad to other people. It took away the aspect of explaining. 

“It happened awhile ago. It’s fine.”

“Is it?”

Henry clenched his jaw tightly. It had to be. “Yes. Why do you wear a key around your neck?”

Alex could easily tell that was to end the conversation. “The only reason we moved out here was for the election. The key is for my home back in Texas.”

“Is that why your room is so empty?”

“Yeah. It never really felt like home.”

“You aren’t trying to make it like that.”

“We are gonna move after the election, either into the White House or back home, so there’s no need to make the place me. It’s enough. Why did you come back?”

“My mother just wanted to give me a break. Why lacrosse and not something like football?”

“Football is boring. You just tackle people.”

“I’m sure you’d enjoy it.”

“I never tired it. I missed tryouts for it anyways.”

“So you _would_ have done it, given the chance.”

“Who knows? I’m happy with what I do. What color is your hair?”

Henry paused for a second. “I beg your pardon?”

“Every time I see you, it seems lighter.”

“I dye it brown, that’s probably why,” Henry answered honestly. He didn’t answer what color his hair actually is, not wanting to make his identity known. “What’s your favorite Star Wars movie?”

“Did my one poster give it away? Empire Strikes Back, hands down it’s the best.”

“You’re wrong. Return of the Jedi is the best.”

“You have some audacity coming into this room thinking Return of the Jedi is the best movie.”

“It is, ‘hands down.’”

“No, the Empire Strikes back has better plot-”

“Alex!”

“Lunch is ready, but this conversation is not over.”

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time posting on ao3 so if the formatting is wack please let me know


End file.
